Pakistan: Two student leaders arrested in Faisalabad

Two Student leaders from the Agriculture University Faisalabad, Umer Rasheed and Asad Rehman were arrested and sent to jail yesterday, 21 November 2010. They were involved in the movement against load-shedding in the university and against proposal for fee hikes.

These student leaders were also involved in organising the Inqlabi Council at the UAF on revolutionary lines and were fighting for genuine student rights. They also organised the Bolshevik Day Anniversary in the District Bar Council Hall on 8 November 2010 in which workers from PTCL, Railways, power looms and other sectors participated.

The Vice-Chancellor of UAF didn't like this progressive activity. The VC, Rana Iqrar has already been charged with corruption and has a previous record of expulsion and running away from Pakistan because of corruption charges. As he is a relative of Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister of the Punjab, he thinks he can use any means to sabotage the protests of students.

These student leaders are accused of destroying public property and charged under sections 440, 427, 456 and others.

We appeal to all progressive forces to come forward for the protests for the release of these two student leaders.

Rana Sanaullah and the Punjab government also ordered baton charges against the students in Quaid e Azam Medical College Bahawalpur and many students were arrested and beaten for raising their voice against load-shedding and fee hikes. The same story is being repeated in UAF.

However, this time it was done during Eid holidays so that media coverage could not be given to this incident. The students were sleeping in their homes in Sadiqabad on the morning of 20 November when Police from Civil Lines Police Station in Faisalabd raided and entered their homes climbing over the outer walls.

Students of UAF are angry about this accident and are planning big protests but the Administration is harassing them with expulsions and arrests and threatening them with the same consequences.